This invention relates to collectible items and methods of making the same, and, in particular embodiments, a collectible item made from a combination of rare and common materials and a method of making the same.
Generally, collectible items (such as dolls, toys, figurines, books, and the like) are commercially available for purchase by consumers. Naturally-occurring rare items (such as meteorites, fossils, and the like) and historically-related rare items (such as coal from the Titanic ocean liner, gold from Comstock Lode or Sutter""s Mil, and the like) are also commercially available for purchase by consumers. However, such collectible items and rare items (or fragments of rare items) are traditionally sold separately. It would be desirable to join a collectible item with such rare items (or fragments of the rare items) into a single article of manufacture. Such articles of manufacture would enhance the value and consumer appreciation of the collectible item and the rare item joined into the single article over the collectible item and the rare item as separately sold. It would also be possible to include such rare items (or fragments of the rare items) in a vast, rather than limited, number of collectible items.
It is an object of embodiments of the present invention to provide an improved article of manufacture which includes a collectible item and a naturally-occurring or historically-related rare item (or a fragment of the rare item) and a method of making the same, which obviate for practical purposes, the above mentioned limitations.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, an article of manufacture associated with a naturally-occurring or historically-related rare item includes a collectible item, which is made from a mixture of rare and common base materials, and a certification of authenticity for attesting to the authenticity of the rare material. The mixture of rare and base materials includes: (1) a common base material having a color and a texture, and (2) a rare material formed from the rare item and added to the base material. The weight ratio of the base material to the rare material in the mixture is in the range of 1:1 to 1000:1 such that the rare material changes the color and/or the texture of the base material.
In another embodiment of the present invention, an article of manufacture associated with a naturally-occurring or historically-related rare item includes: (1) a collectible item made from a common base material, (2) a rare fragment formed from the rare item and coupled to the collectible item, and (3) a certification of authenticity for attesting to the authenticity of the rare fragment. In particular embodiments of the present invention, the rare fragment is encased or sealed within a holder, and the holder is coupled to the collectible item.
In still another embodiment of the present invention, a method of making an article of manufacture associated with a naturally-occurring or historically-related rare item includes the following steps: (1) providing a common base material having a color and a texture; (2) forming a rare material from the rare item; (3) adding the rare material to the base material to form a mixture of the rare and the base materials; (4) forming a collectible item from the mixture of the rare and the base materials; and (5) creating a certification of authenticity for attesting to the authenticity of the rare material. The weight ratio of the base material to the rare material in the mixture is in the range of 1:1 to 1000:1 such that the rare material changes the color or the texture of the base material.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a method of making an article of manufacture associated with a naturally-occurring or historically-related rare item includes the following steps: (1) providing a collectible item made from a common base material; (2) forming a rare fragment from the rare item; (3) coupling the rare fragment to the collectible item; and (4) creating a certification of authenticity for attesting to the authenticity of the rare fragment. In particular embodiments of the present invention, the step of coupling the rare fragment to the collectible item further includes the following steps: (1) encasing the rare fragment within a holder; and (2) coupling the holder to the collectible item.